Role of the Mother

This day of 19 th November is celebrated as Ladies Day in order to delve into the sacred qualities of women and disseminate them. Women are the repositories of Truth and Culture. Though earth is one, the plants vary depending on the seeds sown. The womb of mother symbolizes mother earth. As is the seed of thought sown in it, so is the fruit it yields. You cannot expect mangoes by sowing a neem seed. So, the mother's womb should be filled with good thoughts, good words and good deeds. Only then can she beget virtuous children. Today we find many children with bad character and bad behavior. The reason for this can be attributed to the bad thoughts of their mothers.

In this country of Bharat was born Savitri,
the woman of chastity,
Who could fight with Yama, the God of Death and
bring back to life her dead husband.
In this country of Bharat was born Chandramathi,
the paragon of virtue,
Who suffered the terrible ordeals
of her husband, Harischandra,
Sita, the devoted consort of Rama
and the divine daughter of Mother Earth,
Who demonstrated her chastity by coming out of
blazing fire unscathed, was born in this Bharat.
Damayanthi, also a woman of pristine purity and
chastity who stood by her husband Nala
Through thick and thin was born in the sacred land of Bharat.

Education is no book-worm affair; the process must include the study and appreciation of all trades, professions and guilds. It must encourage the acceptance of the good and the rejection of the bad. Spiritual education is not a distinct and separate discipline; it is part and parcel of all types and levels of education, In fact, it is the very foundation on which a lasting edifice can be built. Secular and spiritual education are like the two halves in the seeds of pulses; the germ that sprouts is in between; it is fed by both.
The feminine is the foundation on which a peaceful and happy world is to be raised. When women are true and brave, kind and compassionate, virtuous and pious, the world can have an era of peace and joy.

Women and Marriage

Remember most of you will get married and you will have the great responsibility of rearing up families, that is a Very valuable opportunity. Learn to adjust your likes and dislikes to those of others, learn the gentle art of sacrifice and service-keep in mind, when you react angrily against your mother-in-law, that a day will come When you too will have daughters-in-law! Try to appreciate their points off, view; they may have greater forethought, greater experience, greater sense of responsibility; they may know more about people and things than you, who are fresh entrants in their household.
The family of the husband which you enter with marriage is a good training ground; it is a saadhana-kshethra (field of spiritual practice). When you are found fault with, do not fly into a rage; examine your own conduct and discover the faults in yourselves; self-examination is the first step to self-improvement and peace. Do not exaggerate the faults of others, but give them a wide margin and see them as small; exaggerate yours, see them big and strive to remove them fast. Take all faultfinders as your friends and well-wishers for they give you warning-signals in time.

Girl students who may get married should serve their in-laws in such a way that the good name of the institute is vindicated. The mother-in-law should be proud of a well-educated daughter-in-law coming from the Sai Institute. The good name you earn will rejoice Me.

Love is in everyone, but, because it is turned to selfish ends, it becomes attachment. You should aspire to experience Dhaivi Prema (Divine Love). In the modern world, youth should know the nature of true love. Many from abroad, mix with persons of the opposite sex, calling them boy friend and girl friend. If you really love each other you must get married and not continue living as friends.

Women and Motherhood

Women are the mothers of the coming generation; they are the teachers of that generation, during the first five years of life. The mother is the first of the five Maathas (Mothers), that the Indian child encounters: Dheha-maatha (the mother that gave birth to this body); Go-maatha (the cow that gives sustaining milk); Bhoo-maatha (the land that grows the crops which feed the body); Dhesa-maatha (the Native country that gives protection, care, love, rights and chances to serve and elevate oneself to one's full height), and Vedha-maatha (the heritage of spiritual treasure that reveals the aim and purpose of human life and takes one step by step, towards the Goal of Self-realisation). The Dhehamaatha must reveal to the child the glories of all the other four; so her responsibility is the greatest and most crucial.

It is an ancient practice in Bharat to relate to pregnant women stories about heroes and saints so that the child in the womb may be influenced by the vibrations produced by such sublime stories and the thoughts produced in the mother. The ancient Rishis knew this truth. No wonder that the children born under such conditions had noble nature and heroic virtues. It was a common practice to relate stories of exemplary children like Markandeya, Dhruva and Prahlada. They provided the inspiration and ideals for the children of those days. What do we find today? Pregnant women are engaged in seeing Television, Cinemas and other deleterious media which play up crime and sex. The result is the children who are born develop undesirable tendencies.

More fragrant than the sweet-smelling flowers
like the Jasmine and the Champak,
Softer than the cheese and the butter,
More beautiful than eye of the peacock,
More pleasant than the moonlight,
Is the love of the mother.

Rama's divinity blossomed under Kausalya's loving care;
Lava and Kusa could become powerful and famous
due to their noble and virtuous mother Sita,
The love and care of Jijabai made Shivaji a great warrior,
Fostered with the love of his mother Putlibai, Gandhi became a Mahatma.
Is there anyone in this world who can take care of you the way your mother does? Amma (mother) is the first word that man picks up in life. The first letter of the word 'Amma' also happens to be the first letter of the alphabet.

Only dedicated mothers can offer to the nation children who will strive for a great future for the country. Truth, sacrifice and peace are predominant qualities in women. Women are concerned about the purity and welfare of the community. … While the father's love was related to mundane desires, the mother's love was related to spiritual concerns. It is such broad-minded mothers who are needed today. Good mothers are more essential than good wives. A good wife is of value only to her husband. A good mother is a national asset.

Women and Spiritual Sadhana

Pray to God and recite His Name or meditate on His Glory for some fixed period of time everyday; you will find it amply rewarding. Don't say, "Let me have a taste of the reward and then, I shall start the saadhana." Practise, and the experience will follow, must follow.

Women must realise the enormous power of the mind for good or evil and see that its power is used only for doing good. The mind can make a person a demon or Divine. The mind is under the control of the intellect. The intellect is governed by the Aathma. Self-realisation will bring about control over everything. The dire conditions prevailing in the world are known to everyone. The root cause of all this is the failure of people to realise their inherent divinity. Excessive desires, fuelled by selfishness, are the cause of all troubles. The primary requisite is confidence in one's self. Without that confidence, nothing can be accomplished.

Women and Seva

Women devotees, if they have the enthusiasm and support, can start Mahila Sathsangs not only for Bhajans and study of sacred texts and books, but for service of women. Go among the poor in the slums and spread light and joy therein. Gather the helpless girls and try to provide them with some means of honourable livelihood. Sweeten their lives with bhajan and the Saadhana of japa and dhyaana. Women too have a right to know that they are the Aaathma, encased in human form, and they too can tap the strength, the joy and the peace that the Aathma holds. Inculcate in them the prayer habit; that will cleanse the mind of all impurities, and make God shine in His full splendour.

Let the girls also know something of the joy that service to those in distress can give, service without a thought of the benefits that may follow from the sympathy shown. Let them learn to lay aside the egoism that poisons the Seva of even veterans in the field, who go about extolling themselves as founders and promoters, for the service of the poor and the maimed, of this institution and that. The joy of the seva is the act itself. The fruit of the seva is the removal of egoism, not its multiplication.

Women and Sai Organization

For much that has been achieved by the Sai organisations, the credit goes to the women workers. They have done good service. There should be all the three wings in the women's section also - spiritual, educational and service. I desire that they should engage themselves in all three activities. In the women's organisations, instead of competition for office, there should be concentration on duties. There should be no room for bossism. All are sevaks in the Sai fold. Why should there be distinction amongst them?

Respect for Women

Boys when they get married after their education, receive dowries at the time of marriage. This is very wrong. It even amounts to a sin. A girl who has been brought up well is offered to a young man in marriage. That itself is a great gift. Why should one ask for money along with the bride? The parents of the girl may give her whatever they choose. But the bridegroom should not expect or accept anything. This is the attitude one should have towards gifts from others. It is because many of these immemorial injunctions have been given the go-by that today Bhaarath is experiencing various troubles.

Women are not to be treated lightly. The Geetha says that women are endowed with seven kinds of powers while men have only three. It is sinful to look down upon women.
Consider, for instance, this fact. There are any number of women who have tried to bring back their dead husbands or to venerate their memory. How many men have done likewise for their wives? Many hasten to acquire a second wife. In this respect, Bhaarath has been an example to the world. Wherever women are honoured, there is prosperity and happiness. Women should never be slighted or treated with disrespect. A home in which the housewife sheds tears will be bereft of all prosperity. This is the ancient conception of the role of women in the home.

Desirable Qualities in Women

Modesty is essential for women; it is her priceless jewel. It is against Dharma for a woman to overstep the limits of modesty; crossing the limits brings about many calamities. Why, the very glory of womanhood will be destroyed. Without modesty, woman is devoid of beauty and culture. Humility, purity of thought and manners, meekness, surrender to high ideals, sensitivity, sweetness of temper -the peculiar blend of all these qualities is modesty. It is the most invaluable of all jewels for women. The modest woman will ever keep within limits, through her innate sense of propriety. She becomes automatically aware which behaviour is proper and which is improper. She will stick only to virtuous deeds and behaviour. … Of course, the modest woman will not crave for honour or praise. Her attention will always be on the limits which she would not transgress. Honour and praise come to her unasked and unnoticed. The honey in the flower or lotus does not crave for bees; they do not plead with the bees to come. Since they have tasted the sweetness, they themselves search for the flowers and rush in. They come because of the attachment between themselves and sweetness. So, too, is the relationship between the woman who knows the limits and the respect she evokes.

I want each of you to be a Mahaaraani (Queen) of your household. Mahaaraanis watch the world from the inner apartments of the palace, through interstices in the wall or enclosures; they can see, but they are safe from other eyes. That is the highest sthree-dharma (Women's duty), as laid down in the Shaasthras; you should not be seen or talked about; you must be away from public gaze; you must be silent invisible partners, inspirers and teachers. If you desire that others should honour you, you should honour them too. If others must serve you, serve them first; love begets love; trust engenders trust. Self-aggrandizement and selfishness bring disaster in theirtrain. As a matter of fact, no joy can equal the joy of serving others. Be like this timepiece; show the correct time to all who desire to know, irrespective of the person who comes for the information. It has no likes and dislikes.

As today is a sacred day dedicated to women, they should change themselves and help to change the men and the children. They should develop the qualities of sympathy, compassion; love and sacrifice. Study the lives of our great women, who were models of patience, fortitude, compassion and sacrifice. I desire that you should take up the reins of leadership and bring peace and prosperity to the nation by leading ideal lives.